Tag Archives: investment property

The HOT topic for real estate that everyone was talking about coming up to the new year is official, but with an asterisk regarding the extensions of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act and American Taxpayer Relief Act. This is a little lengthy article, but worth your extra 15 minutes to digest. While federal government has extended the tax law, California to this date has not extended their tax law, but more importantly the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness has been definitely extended. What does all this mean to you and your situation, whether owner-occupied or an investment property that is upside down and you’re wanting an answer to what you have to do, CALL ME for help. Letting a property go to foreclosure or doing a Deed in Lieu could put you in a liability situation for all the debt of a Trust Deed. I work with CPAs and attorneys that can help. After over 20 years of short sales, hundreds closed, you owe it to yourself to only talk to the BEST! CALL NOW! JOHN A SILVA — 619-890-3648. MAKE IT YOUR BEST YEAR!

III. Extension of Mortgage Cancellation of Debt Relief

Q 4. What is mortgage cancellation of debt relief?

A. As a result of a foreclosure on a recourse loan, a short sale or a deed in lieu of foreclosure, a lender may cancel, reduce or forgive the debt that the borrower owes on the loan. The IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board consider this cancelled or forgiven debt as income to the borrower. As a result, the forgiveness or cancellation of the whole or a portion of the loan balance, often termed “cancellation of debt income,” may result in a tax liability.

The cancellation of debt income is generally treated as “ordinary income,” as opposed to capital gains income which is taxed at a lower rate, and the taxpayer will typically receive a 1099 tax form from the lender in the amount of the cancellation of debt.

Under the tax law there exist various situations where the cancellation of debt income is not taxable including bankruptcy, insolvency and when there is a foreclosure on a non-recourse loan. However, for most homeowners involved in a short sale, foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure, the tax relief provided by the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 (H.R. 3648) signed by President Bush on December 20, 2007 and subsequently extended by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, provides the most important protection against having to pay tax on the cancellation of debt income.

As a result of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, Internal Revenue Code §108(a)(1) (E) was added and provides that a taxpayer will not be taxed upon cancellation of debt income if the following conditions are met:

The property sold in the short sale is the taxpayer’s principal residence, as that term is used in IRC §121.

The cancellation of debt is Qualified Principal Residence Indebtedness under IRC Section 163(h)(3)(B). Qualified Principal Residence Indebtedness is a loan secured by the residence used to acquire, construct or substantially improve the residence. The income relief provided is capped at $1,000,000 in the case of a married person filing a separate return and $2,000,000 for all others. Any reduction of indebtedness excluded by IRC §108(a)(1)(E) will be applied to reduce the basis of the taxpayer’s principal residence, but not below zero. This could result in a higher amount of capital gains tax owed by the taxpayer. Also the cancellation of debt relief provided by the law, therefore, does not apply to any portion taken as “cash out” and not used to substantially improve the residence.

Q 5. How does the American Taxpayer Relief Act affect the mortgage cancellation of debt relief?

A. The original law applied to indebtedness discharged before January 1, 2010. That end date was extended by three years from 2010 to 2013 pursuant to H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The new law extends the date one year further to any indebtedness discharged prior to January 1, 2014.

Q 6. Does the federal law apply to potential cancellation of debt income under California tax law?

A. No. California has its own cancellation of debt relief law which has been codified as California Revenue and Tax Code Section 17144.5 which is similar to the federal law but with some significant differences (see next question). That law has expired. However, C.A.R. has sponsored Senate Bill 30 (Calderon, D- Montebello) to extend California’s debt relief protections which is currently pending. The proposed law would be effective retroactive to January 1, 2013. Information on the status of the bill can be found at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Q 7. What are some of the differences between the state and federal law on cancellation of debt on qualified principal residences?

A. California law has different limits for maximum indebtedness and the amount of cancellation of debt income that can be forgiven which are detailed below:

The maximum amount of qualified principal residence indebtedness is $800,000 for married couples filing jointly, registered domestic partners filing jointly, single persons, head of household, or widow/widower; and $400,000 for married couples or registered domestic partners filing separately;

The maximum amount of debt relief income that can be forgiven is $500,000 for married couples filing jointly, registered domestic partners filing jointly, single persons, head of household, or widow/widower; and $250,000 for married couples or registered domestic partners filing separately.

This is an excerpt from California Association of Realtors Legal — Part 2 coming next week will be on Taxation of Foreclosures and Short Sale.

Five reasons near-record low rates are out of reach for some

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Mortgage rates are near historical lows, but the rates lenders are quoting you aren’t as eye-popping as those you see in the news.

When your vacation home becomes everybody’s home

Buying a retirement or second home might sound like a great idea, until friends and family begin using your place as a crash pad. Here are tips on how to handle unexpected guests without damaging relationships.

Why is that?

First, remember that mortgage rates are moving constantly, and rate surveys are capturing rates from past points in time. For example, Freddie Mac’s weekly survey collects rate data over the course of a week. Bankrate.com’s survey collects rate data every Wednesday…By the time results are released, they’re already outdated.

There are other reasons your rate might be higher. Below are five of them.

1. You’re not paying points

Average rates in Freddie Mac’s survey include average discount points paid for the mortgage. But not everyone is willing to pay points.

For the week ending Oct. 27, rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.1%, but that rate required an average 0.8 point to get it. A point is 1% of the mortgage amount, charged as prepaid interest.

Unless you’re going to live in your home for a very long time, paying points often doesn’t make sense…

2. Your borrower characteristics mean price adjustments

A credit score on the low side will prevent you from getting the lowest rates. Low levels of home equity will also mean a pricier mortgage rate.

That’s thanks to loan level price adjustments from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that have been making it tougher for borrowers to get the best rates for the past few years…

3. Your property type means higher rates

For condo-unit mortgages, you need a 75% loan-to-value ratio, or a 25% equity position, to get the best rates, said Christopher Randall, vice president, secondary marketing, at the Real Estate Mortgage Network, a mortgage lender.

And if your mortgage is for a vacation home or investment property, you can also expect to pay a higher rate, McBride said…

4. You don’t have recent proof of income

For the self-employed — who don’t have pay stubs as proof of recent income — the most recent tax returns are what a lender will look at before giving you a mortgage. If business has improved after your past tax return, that’s not going to be of any help as you try and get a mortgage today…

5. Your lender isn’t hurting for business

There can be a big disparity in what rates are offered from lender to lender, Findlay said. And it may have to do with how many mortgages they’ve been originating lately.

“Some that are lacking volume will tend to be more competitive,” he said. “Those that have enough volume may say we’re going to keep rates high.”

But the rate isn’t everything, Randall said. When shopping for mortgages, borrowers need to focus on comparing their monthly payments. “People are drawn to the interest rate… but you have to look deeper. Review the documentation,” Randall said.

For instance, it’s possible for someone to get an offer of a very low rate on a mortgage backed by the Federal Housing Administration — that loan also may come with a higher insurance premium, Randall said. That person may be better off taking a conventional mortgage with lower priced private mortgage insurance, even if their interest rate is a little higher, he said…

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Heal from Foreclosure

For a Compelling Guide to weaving through ALL the experiences of a hardship with applications for coping personally and with family: having to sell Your Home is unbelievably lightened! Anyone that would never consider selling their home, this is a MUST read.